Never Kiss a Man in a Canoe: Words of Wisdom from the Golden Age of Agony Aunts

by Tanith Carey

Never Kiss a Man in a Canoe is a fascinating glimpse into our social past and harks back to a time when agony aunts played a pivotal role in society, advising men and women on love, sex, relationships and other taboo subjects. From advice on the immorality of reading a crime novel or riding a bicycle to Sunday school, to tips on beauty, etiquette and how to make a boy into a man, this wonderful book is a slap in the face for everyone accustomed to the politically correct advice of today, and is a tribute to the manners of the past that will make you grateful times have moved on.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2009

Reviews

[Karen Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect little palette cleanser! I heard Stephen Fry talk about this book on Qi and couldn’t resist the title..... Hilarious but also really kind of a fascinating look at 19th and early 20th century society and it’s ever changing ideas of what behavior is acceptable.... laughed a lot and read so many of the letter responses out loud to the hubby to make him giggle... lots of fun 💕

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun source book for me, since my current heroine is an agony aunt. I read through it quickly because it was research, but I'd say it was more the kind of book you'd want to dip in and out of. I particularly liked that the letters within each topic were arranged chronologically, to highlight the way advice changes over time. Agony aunts could be tough cookies!

[Meribeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Fun to read advice that you can enjoy a few at a time!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good fun. It's Tanith Carey's selection which may well not be representative, but agony aunts and uncles from the mid-19th century to the early 60s show themselves quite a refreshing bunch who could be as empathic as they could be brisk, although I'd beware of their medical advice. They also have a jolly good sense of humour (I especially enjoyed the response to someone who wanted to know at what age you should stop climbing trees) The small section on parenting small children is markedly more ghastly (although they seemed to know what an important time for brain development infancy is)

Incidentally, the canoe caution doesn't mention kissing...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun compendium of judgmental advice.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just alight hearted book of snippets that I pick up every now and then.

[Sofie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+! Super amusing :D Everyone should read it, there's good advice in here about most everything.